Underwater City: İstanbul

“A Frenchman visiting Constantinople in the 1500s heard strange stories of locals drawing up fresh water and even fishing from holes in their cellars. Intrigued by these stories and the legends of great underground temples, he decided to explore.” 

Istanbul was rebuilt over the ruins of older civilizations. That’s why there still are unknown underground structures, yet it has many touristic places to see.

Basilica Cistern is one of them and is the largest of the cisterns lying beneath the city. It is true that it was a system for water filtration and could hold 80.000 cubic meters. Nicknamed Yerebatan Sarayi, or “The Sunken Palace” in Turkish, it is known in English as the “Basilica Cistern” because of its location on the site of an ancient basilica. 

DoNotForget*** nearest metro station: Sultanahmet (T1)

DidNotFinish*** if you need more information: visit

Have you ever thought of a way to carry much more water with you?

Just asking…but- please keep in mind that summer in Istanbul could be quite hot. In case you tend to forget your water bottle at your hotel room, don’t get stressed.

A standard bottle of bottled water in Istanbul, which you can get from almost every corner of the city, costs 1 Turkish Lira.

Maybe, you would search for producer of the water you’d be drinking and find it in another city in Turkey, full of natural resources.

DoNotForget***  to prepare yourself for the surprise weather, even though you check the weather forecast beforehand.

DidNotFinish*** sharing detailed info of the seasonal weather conditions.